Why is My Refrigerator Ice Maker Not Working?

First Rate Appliance Repair provides refrigerator repair in Moore, including professional services to fix ice makers that are not working. Learn about some common ice maker failures below:

Ice makers are one of the most convenient inventions ever. An ice maker is a small luxury most people certainly take for granted. Refrigerator ice makers are relatively simple machines that do not feature a lot of components that might go wrong with them.

As with any appliance repair, there are basic things that need to be reviewed before thinking the worst. And, remember, if necessary, you are able to replace your ice maker without replacing an entire fridge, dependent on the brand and model. First, let’s review a few of the reasons for an ice maker not working.

If an ice maker is making ice but it isn’t ejecting it it is usually means there’s a mechanical problem vs. an electrical issue. This can happen when reorganizing things around in the freezer, you might accidentally shift the control arm up or down. Often the ice maker might get jammed with something else, including a chunk of ice. First, check to see if there is ice or food blocking this from operating the right way.

Before beginning the steps of clearing out the freezer, be sure your ice maker is turned on. This is done by pulling the control arm in the down position. Sometimes, moving things around in the freezer unit can put it into the off position. If the control arm is free, then there may be ice stuck inside the ice maker or it is not receiving a good connection.

Check the Control Arm

If the control is down and there is ice but it is not dispensing it, there could be an electrical or mechanical problem. This is going to require a bit more troubleshooting. Ready to begin? First, we have to inspect the electrical connection. This can be unplugged from behind the freezer or refrigerator when moving or shifting the food in the freezer.

To inspect this, unplug the refrigerator and slide away from the kitchen wall. Then, turn off the water supply valve. Locate the connection on the back of the inside of the freezer unit. Essentially this is what connects the ice maker into the freezer unit. Be sure that it is actually plugged in the right way.

Then, remove all of the ice that’s in the ice maker itself. This can be accomplished by pouring in a bit of water to help to get any ice that’s in there out.

Once this is done, restore power to the fridge and turn on the ice maker. It could take the solenoid component a few seconds to engage and fill the mold. Once the mold is completely full, wait 4-5 hours to see if you’ve cleared the problem.

Check for Frozen Lines

More ice maker problems that may cause your ice maker to not produce any ice are frozen water lines. The water lines might be blocked with frost. This is an easy fix.

Unplug the refrigerator and locate the shut off valve. Turn the water off and get a hair dryer to warm the line or just let the freezer sit without being on for a couple of hours and wait until the line is thawed.

Some models that feature a water filter that can clog or ice up. In these cases, locating the filter is the first step. Then repeat what was done for the iced water line.

If an ice maker is not making large enough pieces of ice, there’s an issue with the ice maker settings. To adjust the the ice maker settings, take the upper part of the cover of the ice maker off and locate a simple control that displays plus and a minus symbols. For this process, you could need a flat head screwdriver.

ADDITIONAL REFRIGERATOR RESOURCES

• Refrigerator Noisy
• Refrigerator Water Dispenser Not Working
• Refrigerator Not Cooling
• How Does a Refrigerator Work?